Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to develop a national fuel poverty strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23049/10]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the timeframe for the energy affordability strategy; the form that this strategy will take; the way he plans to address the problem of fuel poverty here; the number of homes that were part of the warmer homes scheme for 2008, 2009 and to date in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23025/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 66 and 77 together.

I am working closely with the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, to ensure a unified approach to energy affordability. Our Departments are collectively working to finalise the energy affordability strategy which I expect to bring to Government this month. I launched a public consultation process on the proposed strategy in March this year seeking the views of interested parties on all dimensions of energy affordability.

The Strategy will set out actions under way and proposed further actions to protect vulnerable households with a view to ensuring that existing and future measures are targeted at households where the risk of energy poverty is greatest.

Enhancing the energy efficiency of homes through structural improvements is pivotal to the Government's strategy to address energy affordability. To date, energy efficiency improvements in nearly 40,000 homes have been made under the Warmer Homes Scheme (WHS).

The WHS provides energy efficiency improvements to homes in, or at risk of, fuel poverty and is primarily delivered by community based organisations (CBOs) of which 23 have, to date, been approved to provide this service. The CBOs work in partnership with their local network of poverty and community support organisations including public health nurses, MABS and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to identify and address vulnerable homes. Private contractors were also engaged in 2009 to address the increasing demand for the scheme.

5,343 low-income homes benefited from energy efficiency upgrades under the WHS in 2008, with a further 19,000 retrofitted in 2009 (including nearly 3,000 homes delivered by the ESB according to WHS specification). Some €15 million was provided for the scheme in 2009, with a further €5 million provided by ESB and BGE. Of the €15 million Exchequer allocation €12.4m was spent under the scheme last year.

To date this year, the WHS has been delivered to 5,480 homes. I am confident that this year's target of 22,500 homes will be achieved.